Project Apollo - NASSP 7.0 has been released! This is the first official release since NASSP 6.4.3 on June 09, 2006.

Project Apollo - NASSP (also known as NASSP or NCPP) is an add-on for the Orbiter Space Flight Simulator. Project Apollo simulates the Apollo missions to Earth orbit and the Moon, and is slowly expanding to simulate planned post-Apollo missions that never flew. Project Apollo features a near-full implementation of the control panels in the Command Module and Lunar Module, and an increasingly accurate simulation of the internal systems (e.g. electrical distribution, fuel cells). Also the Virtual AGC software is supported, which allows you to run precisely the same on-board guidance software as used by the real Apollo Guidance Computer.

NASSP is intended to be a study simulator, as accurate as possible. While there are optional simplified implementations of the CMC/LGC and checklist assistance available, no attempt has been made to "game-ify" it or make it more accessible at the expense of realism. Original NASA software, documentation, and procedures have been used whenever and wherever possible. Our main goal is 100% accuracy at the systems level. If you want a more user-friendly or accessible simulation there are plenty of better options, both for Orbiter and for other platforms.

A simple changelog doesn't really do the changes that were done in the last decade justice, but here is at least a list of major changes from the last release:

-Orbiter 2010 compatible, Orbiter 2016 support will be one of the main focuses of NASSP 8.0.
-Full mission support for Apollo 7 and 8.
-Fully functional 2D Panel Support throughout the CM.
-3D Virtual Cockpit (nonfunctional at the moment).
-Realistic simulation of most major spacecraft systems.
-Historically accurate checklists.
-NEW CM, SM, and KSC meshes (VAB, LUT, LC34/37/39, MSS, MLP, Crawler etc.). At this point "new" means several years old though.
-Fully integrated and functional Virtual AGC emulator, running the exact software flown on the Apollo 8 mission.
-Limited support for the Lunar Module, with some major systems missing, but integrated and functional Virtual AGC and a few preliminary scenarios for later missions that include the LM.
-Simulated Launch Vehicle Digital Computer (LVDC++) for the Saturn IB and Saturn V. Capable of Launch and Translunar Injection, maneuvering to docking attitude and more.
-Mission Control Center simulation. This optional feature lets you fly a complete mission without having to use any MFDs. All maneuvers will be calculated for you and various Pre-Advisory Data (PAD) will be automatically displayed throughout the mission. Currently this mission support is limited to supporting guidance and navigation.

Now that the release is done, I might as well advertise some "vacancies" in the NASSP development team.

Right now we don't really have anyone working on panels, meshes and that kind of stuff. At the very least we need to create a few more panels in the Lunar Module for the next NASSP version. Completely missing are the ECS panels and an LM without Environment Control System is not very useful...

Other areas that could use some work are the LM model and 3D panels for CSM and LM. I would really like to see NASSP transition from 2D panels to 3D panels at some point. Right now there is a very simple non-functional Virtual Cockpit for the CSM. So making that functional and more detailed is a big task.

We could also use some more active coders. A lot of the people who worked on NASSP years ago are still around, but most don't have the time to be involved as much anymore as they used to. So anybody who wants to help in this regard is welcome, too. All you have to do is spent a few months reading yourself into the code. Maybe I am not so good at advertising...

All you have to do is spent a few months reading yourself into the code. Maybe I am not so good at advertising...

Maybe you should modularize it now a bit more, so the size of the source code somebody needs to know for a specific task is smaller. I doubt you can get people into beginning NASSP development by learning all of NASSP first. Its likely the same problem for SSU there, too much you need to know before you can start.

Maybe you should modularize it now a bit more, so the size of the source code somebody needs to know for a specific task is smaller. I doubt you can get people into beginning NASSP development by learning all of NASSP first. Its likely the same problem for SSU there, too much you need to know before you can start.

It really depends on the system. Adding new switches for example is rather easy, because it is clearly arranged code and it didn't take long for me to figure out how one would do that. All code that involves both CSM and Saturn is a nightmare though, I wouldn't want to look at that as a new developer. But this is a task we have given ourselves already for the next version, seperating the code of CSM and each Saturn stage some more. That way people can focus on one stage and problem at a time.

And it indeed is similar in SSU. I once looked into implementing the missing SPEC 34 functions (I still might do that, if you want!) and it took a while just to figure out the basics of "SSU code" as opposed to "NASSP code". Totally different coding conventions for everything, which is a first hurdle for sure. Knowing the intricacies of the NASSP code much better I would say that the SSU code is way better organized, but it's difficult to tell.

O-F Staff Note: next three posts moved to this thread from 'Multistage 2015 Apollo Saturn Launchers for AAPO' thread.

Hey guys I have a question, why does the rocket in NASSP Apollo 7 scenario keep crashing around 00:30:00 into the sim? I have on automatic checklist execution and I don't do anything but fast forward the simulation??

Last edited by dbeachy1; 05-21-2017 at 04:42 PM.
Reason: Moved three posts to here.